# Sandcastles... vs UTM Remote Virtual Machines

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: UTM Remote Virtual Machines at none against Sandcastles...'s 1. UTM Remote Virtual Machines also leads on rating (3.7 vs 3.3). Sandcastles...'s advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (253 vs 52). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Sandcastles... sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. UTM Remote Virtual Machines asks for nothing beyond the download.

UTM Remote Virtual Machines holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 253 and 52 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 45% of Sandcastles...'s written reviews are positive against 38% of UTM Remote Virtual Machines's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Sandcastles... ships an update every 5 days, UTM Remote Virtual Machines every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sandcastles... | UTM Remote Virtual Machines |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.3 (253 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sandcastles/id1238081986/reviews) | **[3.7 (52 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/utm-remote-virtual-machines/id6470773592/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **253** | 52 |
| Positive reviews | **45.2% of reviews** | 37.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 23 MB | 370 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Vectorpark](https://appshunter.io/developer/322149017) | [Turing Software, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1534511649) |

## What reviewers say

### Sandcastles...

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sandcastles/id1238081986)

Build intricate sandcastles on a virtual beach. Enjoy a relaxing experience with realistic sea sounds and unlimited sand. Unlock additional castle styles through in-app purchases.

**Highlights:** Build sandcastles, Unlimited sand, Seaside sounds, Additional castle styles, Intuitive interface

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| All Sandcastle Styles | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌊 Relaxing and calming experience
- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🎨 Beautiful visuals and animations
- 🧘‍♀️ Helps with mindfulness and meditation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🕰️ Waves come too quickly, not enough time to build
- 💰 Paid options for additional castle styles are overpriced
- 🤔 Unclear purpose or goal, lacks depth
- 🙄 Repetitive and boring for some users

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional lag or performance issues
- Inconsistent wave behavior, sometimes gets stuck

**Requested features**

- Allow users to control the wave timing
- Introduce more variety in castle designs and building options
- Add gameplay elements like challenges or scoring
- Expand the app with new environments beyond just the beach


### UTM Remote Virtual Machines

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/utm-remote-virtual-machines/id6470773592)

Access and control your virtual machines from your iOS device. Stream Windows, Ubuntu, and other operating systems running on your Mac remotely. This app requires UTM for Mac to function.

**Highlights:** Stream virtual machines remotely, Supports Windows, Ubuntu, and more, Control VMs from iOS device, Requires UTM for Mac

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Solves JIT problem on Mac
- 👍 Nice for running OS on phone
- 👍 Works like a charm (with fiddling)
- 👍 Genial tool
- 👍 Great solution for remote VMs on iPad

**What reviewers complain about**

- ❌ Doesn't work on Linux PCs
- ❌ Doesn't work on non-x86/x64 VMs
- ❌ App didn't work on opening
- ❌ Not detected my MacBook Air M2
- ❌ Confusing interface and crashes often

**Reported bugs**

- App didn't work on opening
- Connection error on startup
- Crashes often
- Network error
- Unable to create VMs on iPadOS 17.5

**Requested features**

- Add a Linux port as a flatpak
- Support for ARM-based VMs
- Trackpad/Mouse support
- Make UTM SE available on App Store
- iOS support for UTM


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sandcastles... free?

Sandcastles... is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is UTM Remote Virtual Machines free?

UTM Remote Virtual Machines is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Sandcastles... or UTM Remote Virtual Machines?

UTM Remote Virtual Machines is rated higher. Sandcastles... averages 3.3 out of 5 from 253 ratings, while UTM Remote Virtual Machines averages 3.7 from 52 ratings.

### Do Sandcastles... or UTM Remote Virtual Machines have ads?

Neither Sandcastles... nor UTM Remote Virtual Machines shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Sandcastles... or UTM Remote Virtual Machines?

Sandcastles... ships an update every 5 days, and UTM Remote Virtual Machines every 4 months. Most recently, Sandcastles... was updated on October 22, 2026 and UTM Remote Virtual Machines on October 25, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*